Java
Paul Berkman
Brisbane,Australia
Summary
With 16 years of experience in software development and data science, I offer a diverse skill set as a T-shaped back-end engineer. From CSS pixel manipulation to cloud solution architecture, and from data engineering to product-oriented machine learning model design, I possess a wide range of expertise. My bias towards action drives me to deliver projects that have a tangible impact. I am particularly drawn to values-driven organizations that align with my own values of beauty, clarity, connection, and consistency.
I use technology and science to bring ideas to life, creating spaces, communities, and things that enable humans to belong, explore, create, and thrive amidst the chaos.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Software Engineer
Canva
10.2023 - 04.2025
- Designed and implemented several projects in a cross-functional team ensuring the safety and quality of Canva's content library
- Enabled both humans and machine learning models to efficiently and reliably review content
- Mentored and supported junior staff with onboarding, project development, and goal delivery.
- Established processes to maintain operational effectiveness of AI deployments.
- Coordinated other engineers to evaluate and improve software interfaces.
- Developed robust, scalable, modular and API-centric infrastructures.
- Collaborated with management, internal and development partners regarding software application design status and project progress.
- Delivered unit-tested systems within prescribed timeframes.
Engineering Manager
Canva
03.2022 - 10.2023
- Provided technical, project, and professional leadership to a team of 5 staff through two significant organisational transitions.
- Supported the promotion of 3 team members during my tenure.
- Deployed and validated the first iteration of AI content review.
- Evaluated project requirements to identify and mitigate risks.
- Validated technical design documentation to meet product requirements and vision.
Engineering Manager
Josephmark
08.2021 - 03.2022
- Actively worked to coach and mentor developers in both the technical aspects of our work, but perhaps more importantly in taking the venturous approach to software development.
- Helped excellent technologists learn how to delve deeply into the 'why' of what they build for stakeholders.
- Established an engineering culture of testing critical assumptions while building for a true product-market fit.
- Addressed design challenges and evaluated alternative design models to meet project requirements.
Senior Full Stack Developer
Josephmark
04.2021 - 03.2022
- Contributed to JM's first compiled back-end architecture and implementation in a number of projects written in C#/.NET, as well Python/Django, TypeScript/React, and Dart/Flutter projects
- Managed development milestones from initial steps through final delivery.
- Reviewed code, debugged problems, and corrected issues.
- Consolidated our CI/CD templates on Kubernetes with Docker in AWS, commencing an automated infrastructure provisioning approach with Terraform
- Led the technical component of the Recon process, establishing product and technical needs, then identifying and designing the best approach to validate the project.
Software Development Engineer
Expedia
02.2016 - 04.2021
- My work involved writing full-stack code to service our lodging customers, from the front end (ReactJS) through to the backend (Kotlin/Java/GraphQL)
- In an earlier project, I worked with a small team to build a set of new machine learning models to quantify the relevance of our products to customer purchase intent
- I also worked on a series of projects to build pages that enhanced the user experience for both customers and search engines alike, increasing the traffic acquired across all of our brands from organic search engine results
- I particularly sought to contribute not only with my software development skills, but also my Data Science capacity, applying this to several experimental design and statistical analysis problems faced by my teams team and exploring machine learning approaches to replace statistical learning models
Owner
Berkman Analytics
08.2015 - 06.2018
- Consulted with customers to assess needs and propose optimal solutions.
- Monitored market conditions to set accurate product pricing and take advantage of emerging trends.
- Identified and qualified customer needs and negotiated and closed profitable projects with high success rate.
- Managed purchasing, sales, marketing and customer account operations efficiently.
Director
DNAR Tech
01.2017 - 05.2017
- DNAR Tech was established as an agency through which scientists and researchers could deliver their content to customers
- Spearheaded innovative approaches to resource allocation and strategic planning.
- Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen client relationships.
- Insufficient funding prevented this initiative from progressing past the early stage.
OCE Postdoctoral Fellow
CSIRO
10.2011 - 01.2016
Education
PhD - Plant Genome Bioinformatics
01.2012
Graduate Certificate - Commercialisation & Entrepreneurship
01.2012
BSc - Genetics
01.2005
Skills
- Project leadership
- Big data analysis
- Software documentation
- Amazon web services
- Product development
- Staff education and training
- Solution architecture
- Web applications
- Design and development
- Software development lifecycle management
- Testing and deployment
Certification
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Awards
- Dean's Award for Research Higher Degree Excellence
- 65th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting Participant
Software
Terraform
TypeScript
Timeline
Senior Software Engineer - Canva
10.2023 - 04.2025
Engineering Manager - Canva
03.2022 - 10.2023
Engineering Manager - Josephmark
08.2021 - 03.2022
Senior Full Stack Developer - Josephmark
04.2021 - 03.2022
Director - DNAR Tech
01.2017 - 05.2017
Software Development Engineer - Expedia
02.2016 - 04.2021
Owner - Berkman Analytics
08.2015 - 06.2018
OCE Postdoctoral Fellow - CSIRO
10.2011 - 01.2016
The University of Queensland - BSc, Genetics
The University of Queensland - PhD, Plant Genome Bioinformatics
The University of Queensland - Graduate Certificate, Commercialisation & Entrepreneurship
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